L.A. Noire 2 Could Be Rockstar’s Next Big Game After GTA VI — But the Rumor Is Almost Three Years Old

In late September 2026, gaming communities and industry outlets began widely circulating claims that Rockstar Games’ next major title after Grand Theft Auto VI would be a sequel to the detective thriller L.A. Noire. Users are discussing a move to San Francisco and a plot centered on the infamous Zodiac Killer. But fans shouldn’t celebrate just yet: what’s being passed off as a fresh leak is actually an old fan rumor that first appeared almost three years ago.

The current wave of discussion traces back to an anonymous 4chan post that a GTAForums user named Shahanshah recounted on December 8, 2023. Only years later did the text unexpectedly go viral again.

According to the old post, Rockstar plans to move the sequel from post-war Los Angeles to 1970s San Francisco. The author claimed the developers intend to make a revolutionary leap in facial animation technology — the standout feature of the original game. As GamesRadar notes, the text also mentioned an approximate release year — 2030 — but that was merely the author’s rough estimate from 2023, not a confirmed studio plan.

The rumor’s second life has a simple explanation: the same anonymous author is credited with publishing early details about GTA VI that were later partially confirmed by official trailers. Still, that doesn’t make the information about L.A. Noire 2’s development credible. Rockstar Games itself has never confirmed a sequel.

What Publishers Are Actually Saying

While rumors of active production have no solid basis, publisher Take-Two Interactive hasn’t forgotten the franchise. In spring 2026, company CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked directly about the detective series’ prospects. In an interview with journalists, he said management regularly considers ways to return to older games in its catalog, but stressed outright that the company has “nothing to announce” about L.A. Noire right now.

The original L.A. Noire, developed by the now-defunct Australian studio Team Bondi, launched 15 years ago. Rockstar, which served as publisher, later ported the detective game to modern consoles and released a VR version that is still available in the company’s official store. But until the makers of GTA make an official statement, any talk of active development on L.A. Noire 2 remains little more than recycled internet folklore.